Ogling Obadiah

I've been really getting into Obadiah this last week. I noticed a few points about the structure which have really helped me understand how it is shaped.

For background, Obadiah has always resonated with me because of the way it tells its story. It seems undeniable to me that it's reflecting on Edom's scavenging through the ruins of Jerusalem after the Babylonian destruction, and promising destruction for this scandalous behaviour. I say "seems undeniable" because I came across a TGC article arguing it's predictive prophecy from the 9th century rather than reflecting on the events of the 6th, but I don't buy that.

Things to notice to help with the structure:

1. The speech formulas: v1, 4, 8, 18. 
   This gives us an introduction and three big blocks: 1, 2-7, 8-16, 17-21
2. The day: of the Lord in v8 and 15; of disaster/distress 10x between v11-14.
   This provides some kind of chiastic structure in the centre, with the day of the Lord in 8-10 and 15-16 bracketing the day of Judah's disaster from 11-14.
   I think you can probably find the centre of this in v13a, "you shall not enter into the gates of my people on the day of their distress."
3. "Height" language at the beginning and end, both metaphoric, in terms of arrogance, in 2-4, and literal, in terms of Edom's location, in 19-21.
   
4. The imagery of no remnants in 5-7 maps on to the complete purging through fire in 17-18.
5. The language of the emissary and the nations and the decree from "Lord Yhwh" in v1 also maps nicely on to the final line, 21b: "And the kingdom will be Yhwh's." 

Putting all this together we have an ABCDCBA structure, with some lower-case letters in the middle:

A. Yhwh's message by his envoy (1)

B. The high brought down (2-4)

C. Nothing left (5-7)

D. Your day vs Yhwh's day (8-16)

C'. Everything eaten up (17-18)

B'. Your heights occupied from Mt. Zion (19-21a)

A'. Yhwh's kingdom (21b)

and in the centre: 

D. The day of Yhwh (8-10)

a. 11

b. 12a

c. 12b

d. 12c

e. 13a

d'. 13b

c'. 13c.

b'. 14a

a'. 14b

D'. The day of Yhwh (15-16)

This central structure highlights the greatest crime of all, which is, as with the foreign kings in the following centuries who transgressed the sanctuary, entering into his holy place; in this case it's the gates of his people.

The big structure has well-matched pairs, with the royal language in A, the heights in B, the total end of Edom in C, and the Day of the Lord in D. 

I haven't really seen a structure like this around, probably because most commentators are concerned with the questions around the composition of the book and discerning the redactional layers. But I think this works really well, is very clean, has an appropriate central focus, and a wonderful resolution.